No sidewalk shoveling requirement in Rockford this winter, but next year ...

Tuesday

Feb 4, 2014 at 12:44 AMFeb 4, 2014 at 12:45 AM

By Kevin HaasRockford Register Star

ROCKFORD - Shovel your sidewalks after snow blows through town today. Or don't. It's up to you.

Residents will not be ticketed if they leave their sidewalks covered with snow, something aldermen have considered for several weeks.

Aldermen decided Monday to put the debate on the shelf for this winter and pick it up once they've had more time to vet the proposal.

"Everybody wants this done now," Ald. Teena Newburg said during a Codes and Regulations Committee meeting. "There's no way we can get it voted on, approved and enacted by the next snow."

The committee said more research is necessary before bringing a sidewalk-clearing ordinance to the City Council for a vote. Members delayed discussion for one month to give city staff more time to explore how other Illinois communities handle the requirement.

Sidewalk shoveling rules are in place in several communities, including Freeport, Chicago, Champaign and Bloomington.

State law "encourages" homeowners to clear their sidewalks, but it isn't required. The city does require businesses to clear their sidewalks.

The goal is to make the city safer for pedestrians who are often forced into the streets when sidewalks aren't cleared of snow and ice. Aldermen haven't decided how much to fine people who fail to comply or how much time to give residents to clear their sidewalk, but they said it would be enforced on a complaint basis.

They also have to consider how to handle enforcing the rule on vacant houses, rental properties and what to do when people are out of town when a snowstorm hits.

Larry Spence, 87, said the ordinance would be an unnecessary burden for the disabled and elderly. It hurts their ability to live independently because they may not be able to shovel or afford to hire someone to handle the chore.

"If they bring in something like that, I will have to destroy my home, take a beating on it and sell it," said Spence, who's lived there since 1970.

Shoveling can also be dangerous; it sends about 11,000 adults and children to the hospital each year, according to a 2011 study from the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. It can lead to back and head injuries or cardiac problems.

Larry Bankord of Rockford said the rule is needed because children and the elderly are often forced to walk in the street near moving traffic.

"This idea of people getting killed on streets because of people not shoveling their sidewalks is unbelievable," Bankord said.

It would also help mailmen make their deliveries and emergency workers like firefighters reach a home, Bankord said. And those not capable of shoveling snow can make arrangements to hire someone.

"There are young people around town that would love to have the opportunity to make a little extra money," he said.